By Chris Kavan - 08/04/13 at 10:44 PM CT
The summer is certainly winding down - August is traditionally a slower month and the first weekend is not exception. The $126.3 million box office was up about 11% compared to last year but the compared to previous weekends, its numbers are quite a bit lower. The top film wasn't able to crack the $30 million mark and most of the waves made by films come from some strong limited release films well outside the top 10.
1) 2 GUNS
With so many action films having a woeful impact at the box office, it was nice to finally see one at the top of the heap for a change. Thanks to the star power of Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, 2 Guns opened to the tune of $27.36 million. That total is higher than Wahlberg's Contraband ($24.3 million) though it couldn't top Washington's Safe House ($40.3 million). The movie drew in a mostly older (77% over 25) audience and skewed slightly female (51%). They awarded it a B+ and critics weren't as kind - meaning the film won't likely have that strong of run. Still - at $61 million, it should be strong enough to at least earn back its budget.
2)
THE WOLVERINE
The Wolverine managed to hold on to second place taking in $21.7 million for the weekend. The 59.1% drop is about in line with Captain America: The First Avenger (which opened at approximately the same time back in 2011) but more importantly it held up much better than X-Men Origans: Wolverine - which took a 69% hit in its second week. With $95 million in the bank, the film should cross the $100 million mark in the next few days and should still wind somewhere in the $140-$150 million total range.
3)
THE SMURFS 2
Owing to a crowded family market, The Smurfs 2 opened to weak numbers. With $18.2 million for the weekend ($27.8 million with its Wednesday opening factored in) the film was way down from the $35.6 million the original film took in over just three days. It also represented the weakest start for any family film - lower than Turbo's $31 million start. With Disney's Planes coming up soon - the film won't be able to top the $100 million mark and it will have to rely on foreign markets to stay in the black. With Smurfs 3 already scheduled for 2015 - we'll see if the disinterest shelves the project, but something tells me it's not going to matter much what it makes, we'll going to be subjected to this blue menace at least one more time.
4)
THE CONJURING
The Conjuring continued to impress as the horror film dipped just 39% in its third weekend and blew right passed the $100 million mark. Raking in another $13.66 million, The Conjuring wound up with a $108.6 million total. The film is on pace to break the $130 million total and with foreign markets off to a strong start as well, the film is on pace to be one of the most profitable of 2013.
5)
DESPICABLE ME 2
Once again, despite direct competition in the family market, Despicable Me 2 held up quite well, dropping just 36.7% in its fifth weekend. The animated giant earned $10.4 million and raised its total to $326.7 million. Even though the family market it about to get even more crowded, the film should still be able to cross the $350 million mark before it finally ends its run.
Outside the top five: It was a strong weekend for limited release films. Opening in just four theaters, The Spectacular Now, which has garnered strong praise for young leads Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller, opened with a $50,000 per-theater average and a $200,000 total. That beats out The Bling Ring's $42,879 average for distributor A24, who plans to roll out a more robust nationwide release in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine expanded to 50 theaters, but still impressed with a $40,440 per-theater average. The film continues to outpace Allen's most successful film, Midnight in Paris, as it has already reached over $3 million. If it catches on to the general audience as well as the arthouse crowd, it could be his new highest-grossing film.
Next week sees another crowded weeked as Neill Blomkamp's latest sci-fi film, Elysium drops, as does the comedy We're the Millers along with the animated Planes and the Percy Jackson sequel.
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